Philosophy

B. Mamulashvili

Ethical Problems of International Project "Human Genome

International Project "Human Genome" was commenced in 1989 and irrespective the significant financial difficulties it is funded in many countries all over the world. The objective of the Project is to draw up the genetic map and determine sequence of those 80,000 genes and three billion nucleotides, which form the human DNA.

Implementation of the Project Human Genome is accompanied with creation of the revolutionary technologies in molecular biology, which are applied in diagnostics and treatment of genetically determined diseases and also in industrial biotechnologies. Human genome is no more an exclusively fundamental issue, it is significant financial, industrial and social phenomenon. Studies of the genome achieved the level, at which the humanitarians, philosophers, sociologists, law scientists and religious figures should at last pay attention to the issues of bioethics.

Thousands of new methods of diagnostics, which would be developed in the nearest future, would allow humans to obtain unique information about the genetic features. Owning of genetic information imply responsibility for applying of this information, what requires to add to the traditional principles of ethics such concepts, as "confidentiality", "inviolability of private life" and "autonomy of the person", which should be applied not only to the individual, but also to the families and the groups of the families, unified by sibling connections (kin).

At the level of general philosophical understanding of human nature the Project "Human Genome" can promote expanding of the approach of reductionism, as the human is regarded as a set of well organized molecules.

The enthusiasm of the society, with respect of perceiving of the achievements of researches of the human genome, causes overestimating of the role of genetic determination of the human features, what, finally, leads to rejection of the personal responsibilities. The talents, or limited abilities, behavioral deviations etc, are regarded as inherited predetermined features and therefore, human behavior should be regarded as "genetically predetermined" and not the outcome of the free will. We have already been witnesses of such thinking.

The issue of predetermined human behavior leads to the paradox, existing for the ages: how should we perceive the free will of the human, if everything in the world is predetermined by the will of Lord? What is the sense of the ideas of freedom, responsibility, moral, in the modern world, if all is determined by virtue of the natural necessity?

The purpose of the article is to answer these questions.

 

Tbilisi State Medical University

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